Poll: Is Ashley Young an embarrassment to United?

Ashley Young, part-time winger, full-time diver – at least if the last two weekend’s matches are anything to go by. In each game, first against Queens Park Rangers and then former club Aston Villa, Young has ‘gone down easy’ to win Manchester United a crucial penalty. The seventh and eighth penalties Young has won this season.

Last weekend, against QPR, Young hit the deck after the mere brush of Sean Derry’s outstretched hand. True, the QPR midfielder made contact and, as such, a foul was committed, but was it enough to bring the £18 million signing down? Then on Sunday, against former club Villa, Young tumbled once again – this time over Ciaran Clark’s outstretched leg. There was less debate about the merits, or otherwise, of the foul, but Young’s theatrics won him few friends.

Yet, as many have opined on Twitter and other social networks, Young’s behaviour is not the ‘United way’, where diving has never been accepted. Indeed, Sir Alex Ferguson took the unprecedented step of admonishing his player in public after the Villa game when questioned if Young was now gaining a reputation for diving.

“Yes. In the last week or two, yeah. I’ve never seen that in him, it’s not a habitual thing in him,” claimed Ferguson.

“He was brought down, he just made the most of it. I think he played for the penalty. If the player decides to put his foot in and doesn’t stay on his feet and read the situation, he has fallen into the situation. But he’s definitely taken him. It was a dramatic fall. He overdid the fall, but it’s a penalty, there’s no doubt about that and I don’t think they can have any complaint because he has taken him.”

Yet, the real question is whether you, the United fan, can accept Young’s behaviour? After all, the winger has earned United goals over the past week at the same time as drawing a rash of negative headlines.

It didn’t change the result and not for the shocking 2nd goal call in the Chelsea game this would be all over the back page. Young cheated but lots of players do so to call him an embarrassment is an overstatement.

I don’t know if I would go as far to say that he’s an embarrassment to United, but it’s clear that he does go down far too easily. Also, he doesn’t really do it “well” if that makes sense. Although there was contact today, the way he went down looked absolutely ridiculous and I’m surprised the referee gave it when it was so clearly an over the top reaction to such a small incident.

I do think it’s clear that this is in his mind, again based on today he could have stayed on his feet and shot or played a ball across but his first reaction was to dive.

squigs said:
It didn’t change the result and not for the shocking 2nd goal call in the Chelsea game this would be all over the back page. Young cheated but lots of players do so to call him an embarrassment is an overstatement.

It depends on your perspective Squigs… I despise diving, and when opposing players do it… I want to be able to say to their fans, “your player is a diving cheat”… that’s hard to do when your own team is just as guilty.

In a game like today… I can shrug it off, because we battered them anyway… but what if that penalty is the winning goal… for me it’s a hollow victory, and there is no defense against the opposing criticism that United cheated to win… being able to say, your side is just as bad, doesn’t help at all.

The only way we will ever get cheating out of the game, is when we all stop tolerating it from our own first… then you can start shouting “cheat” at the rest.

I agree with you here– but also think that the propensity to take a dive which he seems to have developed is maybe as a result of a lack of confidence within the team: 8, oops!, 5 points ahead and able to win the title if they don’t slip up, yet at some level an awareness that they themselves aren’t really that good and don’t deserve really to be twenty points ahead of everybody but City and could conceivably slip-up fatally, unlike the great pressure-eating United sides who steamrollered home during the final run-in hardly conceding a goal, still less dropping a point — or losing to Wigan! And this when City start to discover that Tevez just behind Aguero is a deadly prspect and have scored ten goals in 2 games.

I am a Q.P.R fan and what Young did against us was blatant cheating and he should be ashamed of himself. If Man utd are that desperate to win the league title then take it.I have always had a lot of respect for Man utd but me and many others are losing respect for your club.

Not at all a disgrace, did nobody happen to see the ‘goal’ chelsea scored today? he played for a penalty no doubt, at least there was some contact. Better than scoring a goal that never was because youre bankrolled by a billionaire. I love united rant, but come on guys, dont overly criticise our own players when there are teams doing much worse things e.g. Balotelli tackle on song (leg breaker), that is so much worse than a touch of exaggeration.

How is he an embarassment? When Bale does it everyone turns a blind eye and he does on a daily basis, when Suarez does it people just call him a cheat at worst and forget and move on. When Barca do it no one complains cos their perfect.

Yes Young did go down easy but it doesnt mean he has to be crucified because he was successful. Only reason hes getting targeted is cos he plays for Utd and we are going to lift #20 and that makes their blood boil.

If it wasnt the dive it would be the ref, FA, money, Fergie time, old man Scholes, Rooneys hair and so on.

Btw, it wasnt Alan Hutton, it was Ciaran Clark (one of seven player today from own academy).
Cant believe Ashley did this to his former club. Im embarrassed. But congrat wth 3
points and the PL title. Prayforpetrov

Alfonso Bedoya said:
It depends on your perspective Squigs… I despise diving, and when opposing players do it… I want to be able to say to their fans, “your player is a diving cheat”… that’s hard to do when your own team is just as guilty.

In a game like today… I can shrug it off, because we battered them anyway… but what if that penalty is the winning goal… for me it’s a hollow victory, and there is no defense against the opposing criticism that United cheated to win… being able to say, your side is just as bad, doesn’t help at all.

The only way we will ever get cheating out of the game, is when we all stop tolerating it from our own first… then you can start shouting “cheat” at the rest.

I’m being realistic, we have plenty of other players who would go down under similar contact and the same goes for the other 19 premier league clubs.

Yes the one against QPR was a dive, but against Villa there was in fact contact and he just went down with the theatrics.

Clearly many have taken this as an opportunity to attack Young, even this site. If he didnt win the pens, no one would have said anything. When Nani and Rooney do it are there any sites brandishing them an embarrassment?

Villa fan here
The game is morally bankrupt. It’s win at all costs now and Young is becoming almost as bad as John Terry in this. To do it against your former team mates is what rankles most with me. He did not leave under a cloud and was always well received by the vast majority of Villa fans. We appreciate what he did for us but it is gutting to watch the simulation, irrespective of “contact” as you call it.
The refereeing inconsistencies especially towards the struggling sides is quite unbelievable.
The biggest problem is that a lot of Man U fans watch the games with blinkers and will hang on Fergie’s every word. Take a step back and see that the guy is a hypocrite of the highest order. Can you imagine if Agbonlahor had done what Young did at Villa Park in the first 6 minutes and we went on to beat you (we can but dream I know!) and you lost the title. He would be spitting feathers and would make Neil Lennon look tame. I am not bothered who wins the League, and accept that we will never be able to compete financially with Utd, City, Chelski, Liverpool etc but that should not stop fairness being applied to everyone. If this continues with nothing being done, then crowds will continue to decline around the country and soon you will have no one left to play against

carew – Did Young dive? In my opinion, yes. Was he fouled? In my opinion, yes. These are not mutually exclusive. Now Ferguson has spoken out I’d be surprised if he does it again.

The rest of your post is little more than conspiracy bollocks though. Young was known as a diver long before he arrived at Old Trafford. Wonder how much outrage you showed then? Charges on hypocrisy might be a little closer to home.

Quite a bit actually. The Holte End used to sigh when he went down without being touched and most refs got those decisions right. He leaves for Man U and then gets 8 penalties in a season when he only plays just over half of them. Coincidence anyone? or just a conspiracy!!

A well balanced opinion from Carew that I agree with 100% or as Ron Saunders would say 110%. I along with other Villa supporters closed an eye to some of AY’s antics at Villa but he clearly tries to find the defenders boot to give him an excuse to go down. But he’ll pocket his money, retire, go off to the sun and hardly care a wrap which is why loads of lifelong supporters like me ( season ticket holder since 1974 ) together with other issues won’t renew next season. Terrible shame but I know the Villa don’t really care.

He is a total embarrassment. I grew up in the days when football was a man’s sport. I first saw MUFC at Loftus Road the season after they won the European Cup. Asley Young is a disgrace to the club now, and to those who won the European Cup way back then.
The big thing is, after what he did against us (QPR) last week and against Villa on Sunday, his card is marked. Refs will know what he’s gonna do and he will suffer like the boy who cried wolf. When he get’s properly fouled, no-one will believe him and he’ll get carded for it!

Wrong Article,Wrong Time. Lets get behind the team and stop branding players an embarrasment. Please stop writing articles as this at this time of the season. And SAF did not brand him an embarrasment, he just though it was a soft penalty. And stop reading too much into the situation.
To be perfectly honest this is a rubbish article.

As a Villa fan it wouldn’t have changed the result but it is a sad case of affairs that a great player has resorted to this.
He is a great player and most Villa fans knew he would go and accept it as part of the game. And those of us that liked him as a player are secretly happy that he gets the football he deserves.
The earlier post was spot on. SAF would have stamped this out years ago. Now Ashley Young will be United fodder in a couple of seasons. The true greats you have produced didn’t dive to secure their legend status.
You took Dwight Yorke from us and turned him from a 20 goal a season man to a 30/35 goal a season player.
I dont remember problems like this with him

Look… all you lot trying to justify this diving shite… there isn’t much I or anyone else can say… you lot have accepted that it’s part of the modern game, so therefore it’s ok… just remember that, when an opposing player dives to win a pen that costs United points, or knocks us out of a cup… because you’ve got no right to complain.

Me… I’ll call them diving, cheating cunts… because that’s what they are… whether they play for Liverpool, Chelsea… or United.

Let’s all agree with the ABU’s and say we cheat to win? Piss off!! If he didn’t dive, we wouldn’t get a goal, yes its not nice to see but everybody does it… yet it only seems like its us with the way everybody goes on bout it

All the people here that call Utd ‘cheaters’ bear in mind we were also denied stonewall penalties for handball both against Wigan and AV – and according to debatabledecisions.com we should be 10 points better off if not fo incorrect refereeing decisions!

Ashley young IS an embarrousment. Nobody wants to see a united player dive because it’s really not needed, we would win the game anyway and gives the media and everyone else a bloody excuse to start shouting CONSPIRACY!

Gary Neville’s article is a real insight into the moral dilemma at the heart of this issue.

Do I think Young is an embarrassment to the club? I voted yes, though my reason may not necessarily be the same as others – it’s because he hasn’t been clever about how he’s doing it.

You might think that’s an awful thing to say, but the fact is that is how the game is played at the top level. Look at *any* sport. Top level sportsmen push the rules to their literal breaking point in order to gain an advantage. It doesn’t matter which sport it is. Whether it is first class cycling (hello new, innovative and most crucially undetectable drugs), Ice Hockey (hello cheap no look hits, hello well timed scrapping to try and take their best players out of the game for a few minutes), cricket (hello sledging and other similar things). Rugby isn’t immune to this either, no matter how much people want to make out it is (hello taking easy tackles in League to retain possession, wrenching the ball loose in multiple man tackles, all kinds of horrid stuff in Union around the ruck and in the scrum).

So, being clear, being “professional” is a part of all top class sport.

Somehow in England we think we’ve been immune to diving all these years, and somehow it’s only come in since the Premier League started, which is of course a nonsense. Franny Lee springs to mind as a notorious diver in the past.

The fact is, if Youngy is playing for England, and wins a penalty that wins a tournament, or means we don’t get knocked out, or whatever, will the press / ABUs be up in arms about that? Of course they won’t. They’d be talking about the naivity of the offender who stuck out their leg, or the “good professional choice” made by Young for the good of his team. Gary Neville’s argument really rings true.

Of course, United could be some bastion of fair play, and that would be great. But when Welbeck stays on his feet, is fouled, and it isn’t called, what would you all be saying? Or when United concede penalties because Gerrard or some other notorious floor flinger finds themselves felled fallaciously, fooling the officials for a game changing penalty, free kick or card, will you be happy we are the bastion of fairplay yet have lost another three points?

So cos everyone does it then its okay. That’s horseshit. And are you that insecure about the attack that you defend the dive because otherwise we would not get the goal. Fuck me this site has been taken over by retards.

It’s a pragmatic point of view. I love watching Barcelona but every time I see Busquets go over like he’s been hit by a sledgehammer I flinch and am riled by it. And, was it a couple of seasons ago, when that Chelski player (I can’t remember who, it might have been a full back) flung himself over someone’s leg of course I was annoyed.

Cheating is horrid and abhorrent, but it is an inherent part of the game the same as any sport. No side is immune. Some sides are cleverer than others at it, though.

I don’t like cheating or diving. I would prefer we didn’t do it, of course I would. It’s a nonsense to state anything other than that. I would much prefer to see us spank 1 fair goal past Villa, for example, than the 4 we scored starting with the cheating penalty.

But it is also a nonsense to suggest that you absolutely should never look to gain such an advantage. It is naive and it is stupid when, yes, every other side is doing the same thing.

Put it this way – if Young is through on goal at City, and Joe Hart clips him, but he stays on his feet and spoons his shot wide after going past him, due to him being off balance and no punishment applied because we got the advantage, would you be happy with that? Especially if Tevez or whomever on the City side consequently jumps over someone’s leg, gets the penalty, and we see number 20 dissolve? Would we be stoic, “that’s the way the cookie crumbles, at least I have my morals!” or would you be fuming at Tevez, the referee, or Young?

Just seen replays of Juan Mata’s “goal” against Spurs. The way he celebrates looks like gamesmanship to me. It clearly didn’t go over the line. Nobody will be making much of that. There is so much cheating and dishonesty in football on and off the pitch in the name of winning. Why does everyone suddenly decide to pick on Ashley Young?
The whole Suarez affair reduced my enjoyment of the game period. So much weak leadership from those running the game. The NFL’s handing of the Williams/Payton bounty scandal shows how thing should be dealt with. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_Saints_bounty_scandal

he was an embarressment before the two dives. Least effective person in the whole squad, waste of space, its no coincidence he keeps getting subbed, crossing, passing, dribbling, defensive work- all poor.

For goodness sake, why on earth is he a cheat?!? Agree his fall was over done, but who remembers ronaldo who would put his foot into other players and then go down! If your running at full speed, the smallest of touches will take u down.

Just1n said:
So cos everyone does it then its okay. That’s horseshit. And are you that insecure about the attack that you defend the dive because otherwise we would not get the goal. Fuck me this site has been taken over by retards.

I think this issue is far too complicated for a simple “yes” or “no” answer. That Gary Neville article hit the nail on the head for me. In an ideal world I would love to see United take the moral high ground and be able to win without cheating of any form, but when no teams take the same stance, it just leads to an uneven playing surface, so to speak, and you have to question why you should put yourself at a distinct disadvantage for the sake of your morals. Ben’s come up with 2 very good examples of the typical kind of situation I’m talking about, and it’s exactly the kind of thing I could imagine happening.

Last game of the season at Sunderland. 92nd minute. It’s 1-1, we need to win to win the trophy. Phil Bardsley clearly hacks down Ashley Young in the box. Stone-wall penalty. Not given because the ref knows about Ashley Young’s reputation.

It could happen. He needs to cut it out or when it really matters his antics will come back to haunt him.

I don’t think he’s an embarassment yet … but if he continues to dive at the softest touch he will be. The penalty at QPR was a joke but the linesman should have called Young offside and if the ref hadn’t have made such a bad decision it wouldn’t have resulted in a red card + pen. The pen at Aston Villa I thought was pretty soft but there was contact and most players in the PL would have gone down and been awarded it. I do think that the fact that everyone does it is an excuse, why should you feel bad about gaining points by diving if nearly every other team in Europe is doing it? Especially if it results in winning the league. Definitely remember Adam Johnson diving and winning a couple of penalties earlier in the season so if Young hadn’t dived the points gap would be smaller. If there hadn’t been the pen at QPR, the Villa pen wouldn’t have been such a big issue. Tbh I don’t think Fergie will let Young continue to dive, or at least in such an obvious way. Nani doesn’t dive anymore but he used to be awful for it.

I wouldn’t go that far BUT he was a curious player on whom to spend so much money when it has been obvious that without Paul Scholes there is a gaping hole in midfield. Ashley Young is 26/27, very one-footed, not-all-that-good, and plays a position where UTD are strong. I didn’t understand the transfer when it happened and -despite some good performances – I still don’t understand why so much money was spent on him. NOW, there are rumours that Nicolas Gaitan is going to be purchased for another twenty million but still no Scholes-replacement ! Go figure.

Is he an “embarrassment” – not really; just a very naughty boy.

UTD would have won without that action – did Young deliberately step on the defender’s foot or did the defender step on his foot ? I have watched the replays on several occasions and it’s unclear. What is very clear, however, is that the referee had a fantastic position from which to make his own split-second judgement.

Bill said:
Just seen replays of Juan Mata’s “goal” against Spurs. The way he celebrates looks like gamesmanship to me. It clearly didn’t go over the line. Nobody will be making much of that. There is so much cheating and dishonesty in football on and off the pitch in the name of winning. Why does everyone suddenly decide to pick on Ashley Young?

The scenarios don’t compare, one is a footballer going down a bit easily and another is organising over a period of years to deliberately try and injure opponents. Injury bounties in American football date back to the late 80s and will likely still happen after the above incident.

No different to when other players go down anywhere else on the pitch to win free kicks, whether they feel someone place their hand on their back or the slightest touch of the foot(if any). This hole youngs a diver is being blown up so much just because he has the ability to reach the box before it happens. Other players will happily take a tumble outside the box to win a free kick for their team. Remember Charlie Adam diving against us before Gerrard put that free kick through a poorly made wall? Swings and round abouts is all I’m gunna say, if you can’t beat them, join them

I voted no, and yes I was temporarily embarrassed that he appeared to dive again, but we forget he had contact in both instances. The QPR player if his touch were heavier, and he was closer to Ashley WOULD have fouled him. The intent was clearly there. Of course Ashley shouldn’t have gone down so easily and shot at goal or assisted. The second instance, it seems he did stick his leg out but I think its less clear if he wanted to foul him. I thought I saw Ashley trip over him but exaggerated the fall, he could have easily composed himself.

So, I say its embarrassing that he isn’t taking chances but he isn’t an embarrassment to the club because he has never been the first to be a drama queen or dive. (Ronaldo and Nani anyone?)

As a Villa fan who moaned every time Ash went to ground when the opportunity to stay up was there, I did sometimes think he was an embarrassment. It’s not as bad as feigning contact entirely, get that straight. But he’s good enough not to have to do that. And you guys are good enough to win without needing him to. Still, onus on the defender not to give him the opportunity. Right, that’s your banker out of the wy 🙂

Yes it was an embarassment. I am a villa fan and had to put up with his antics for 4 season. I am particularly embarrassed that he would do that to a club that gave him his break in top flight footballry and gave him a platform from which he could move to a bigger club, it shows the morals of the man. This may sound like a bitter rant but his antics will grind on you!! Even the villa fans would sigh and moan every time he took a blatent tumble. The past two weeks it has worked for you, wait till he starts doing it when there are better options and it ends up loosing you chances on goal, then it’ll p**s you off. For feguson to say its not habitual is a joke, he has been, and will be, doing it for years. That said great player, look after him :0)

Sick of these “it’s part of the game whether you like it or not” comments.

It IS a part of the game, and definitely one we don’t like to see, but there’s nothing to say that it can’t be cut out – we do NOT have to accept it.

I also think Young is far from an embarrassment to the club – he’s a razor sharp winger with a lethal right boot, and personally I love watching him week in week out. I’m also happy to see an English winger thriving at an English club.

Having said that, his actions have tarnished what could/would/should have been otherwise strong performances. I hope he stops before people start claiming we’re top of the league because we cheat.

Think football is at a crossroads (for me at least). I grew up when footballers were skillful, the game was hard and diving footballers (Francis Lee?) were very unusual. What would Matt Busby, George Best and even Bobby Charlton make of some of the comments on here that believe it is ‘clever’ to dive or that cheating is a dilema of the modern professional. If it has come to this, you can keep it.

Driving home and listening to Five Live Arsenal v Wigan, that “legend” that is John Mottson described Remi Moses as being “a problem” to Arsenal. Where has he been since he left United? Abroad, I bet.I’m just waiting for “Motty” to claim that Moses will “part the red sea of Arsenal’s defence” and lead Wigan to the “promised land”.If he does will that lead to an Emirates exodus? Still perhaps United can resign him to play along side Giggs and Scholes (he is,after all, only 51.
Young an embarrassment to United?-yes I think so.Is this cheating-probably but no more so than Chelsea players claiming a goal when it patently was not, or the German goalkeeper who played on after Lampards shot went in during the last World Cup.All incidents like this are against the spirit of the game but the Corinthian spirit has longed since died.So take advantage I say!Damn the rest!

You either accept it or bring in technology. It was a foul and he did dive. From the refs angle it loked like a pen. So following Alf’s logic I’m struggling to find a top class forward (or even defender) who isn’t a “diving, cheating cunt”..Rooney, Nani, Young, Valencia Messi, Ronaldo, Pique, Rivaldo, Maradonna the list is endless. Seen them all fall down and role around clutching parts of their anatomy that nobody even touched. It’s part of the game, they dive or go down easy to gain an advantage. They are generally a bunch of soft twats. Buts that football. If you want the opposite watch Super League. Video refs, generally good decisons made but still some although rare mistakes, limited gamesmanship and no soft twats. I love Super League but I also love football for different reasons. Ashley Young has had a good season beter than expected. SAF will have a word he will cut it out of his game. He is not a disgrace etc. Get some perspective.

Messi, one the most talented footballer on the planet, dives
Phil Jones dived away at Villa, it was horrendous
There is footage of Keane diving on youtube n all
Are they all cheats/scum/everythingthatiswrongaboutfootball
That’s the point Neville was making

I don’t care really if he dives or not to win us pens. I don’t like him. never liked him. Just like Berbatov he is a vanity purchase. We have Nani so what the heck with Young? To be fair to him, he is actually very good behind the sole striker and we should play him there a lot more. Out on the left he is a liability always cutting in.

i dont like or approve of simulation to gain unfair advantages. However, I don’t think Ashley is an embarrassment to the club at all. Look at Ribery and Drogba in this weeks Champions league games. At least Young had contact on him.

It’s a part of the game that I’d rather be without, but as Gary Nevill says, everyone does it, it’s just how it is these days..

Young has been a much better buy that I thought he was going to be, his tracking back on defense is a whole lot better with United than I remember at Villa.
As far as his antics on fouls go, I think these will be self correcting, he has gotten the media attention for his theatrical leaps whenever he is touched and Ref’s read the papers just like everyone else, so anymore “Leaps of Faith” on his part are just as likely to bring a card as much as a foul. In fairness to Young he is waiting for (or initiating) contact before going airborne but I am not sure that argument will hold water with Sir Alex if Young every get ejected because of his “flights of fancy”.

No. Were the media going on about Drogba’s antics (cheating) after the Barcelona game? Get a grip. By the end of the season Young will be fouled in the box and nothing will be given, the ABU’s can say it’s ‘karma’, and we’ll all move on. Swings and roundabouts. I’d rather have a player exaggerate a foul than stamp on someone’s head and score the winning penalty (Balotelli). Get a grip.